


Such A Lovely Place, Such A Lovely Face

by captaincoffeegirl515



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: I know nothing about America so..., M/M, literally just went 'fuck it. it's gonna have Filipino folklore instead'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:40:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27324400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captaincoffeegirl515/pseuds/captaincoffeegirl515
Summary: To celebrate their engagement, Ben and Joe decide to go on a roadtrip across America. So far, so good. Then their bus gets lost in the middle of the Californian Desert, and they end up staying overnight at a place that could only be described as paradise.But nothing is what it seems, and behind the pretty facade lurks a danger of mythical proportions.
Relationships: Ben Hardy/Joe Mazzello
Comments: 14
Kudos: 9
Collections: Two Years of BoRhap 2020 Exchange





	Such A Lovely Place, Such A Lovely Face

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shared_Shield](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shared_Shield/gifts).



> So here’s my entry for the Two Years of BoRhap Fic Exchange!
> 
> Prompt I chose:  
> Hotel California: Ben and Joe are on a roadtrip through California, when it gets late, they stop at a, well, suspicious looking motel. But it’s only for the night, right? Only over the course of this night, Ben and Joe start to question their sanity when more and more weird stuff starts happening. The only thing they can do is cling to each other and hope for the morning to come fast (Hardzello)
> 
> I’ve decided to give this prompt a little twist with some Filipino folklore, Filipino supernatural creatures, as well as ghostly experiences from yours truly!

“C’mon Ben! Live a little!”

He groaned, trying to stretch his cramped legs for the umpteenth time that day. Outside their window, there was nothing but dry, empty stretches of land. “Joe, we’ve been on the road for four hours! You know, when I agreed to going on a roadtrip for our engagement-moon, I didn’t expect it to be so bloody long.”

“Okay, so we have a short drive-”

“ _Short?_ If I went and drove in one direction for four hours, I’d be out at sea!”

“In American standards it’s short.” Joe mumbled softly to himself. 

“And why a tour bus? Couldn’t we have rented a car so we could take turns and stop wherever we wanted?”

“Well, that’s if you knew where to go.”

Ben pouted. “I could’ve used the GPS or Google Maps.” He muttered.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to wake up to you driving on the wrong side of the road again. I don’t think my heart can survive another one of those.”

“That was one time!”

“Still.” Joe shuddered. “Never again.”

He huffed and crossed his arms together. “Fine. I get your point.”

“Dawww, Benny...” Ben always looked adorable even when he was angry. Joe couldn’t help but wrap his fiance in a big hug and press the sides of their heads together. 

“Ben?” He started planting soft kisses all over the blond’s face. “Are you mad at me?”

Try as he might, Ben could never stay mad at him for long, especially when Joe was like that. Against his will, a smile slowly began to grow on his face.

“C’mon Benny, talk to me.” The kisses started becoming more heated, trailing down his neck with a hint of teeth, and Ben had to put a stop to that before he ended up with an erection in public.

“No, I’m not angry at you.” He breathed, squeezing his legs together and shifting around in his seat. “But I might need to use the loo soon.”

“Getting worked up already?” Joe waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Can’t say I’m much of an exhibitionist though. I’d rather have you all to myself.”

“Oh piss off!” He laughed.

\-----

The bus driver blinked in confusion, trying to figure out when he had taken a wrong turn. He’d driven this same route for nearly a decade, but for some reason none of the roads looked familiar. The GPS seemed to be going wild as well, directing him towards places he’d never seen before. Three hours and multiple detours later, they arrived in front of the most picturesque, 2-storey motel anyone had ever seen in such a remote area. 

The building itself was beautiful, with its soft pastel walls, colorful plant-boxes hanging under the windowsills, and a matching outdoor stairway leading up to the second floor. There was a community area right in front of the building, with a large, marble table and a scattering of comfy wicker chairs made of rattan. White cobblestone paths lead them to and from the main entrance, and spread out towards other parts of the site.

The grass was the healthiest shade of green Joe had ever seen, and it was teeming with life. The verdant pasture was a complete contrast to the barren desert they had been travelling through. The open fields were covered in blooming wildflowers of every color, and about 50 feet behind the motel stood a massive tree with a thick, knotted, twisting trunk, and long vines hanging from its branches.

“Now what’s a place like this doing all the way out here?” Joe murmured to himself.

Ben agreed, gawking at the scenery. “It looks beautiful.”

They still had a few hours of daylight left, but their tour guide knew they were hopelessly lost. A quick question to one of the motel workers - a hauntingly pale, skeletally thin woman named Multo - told them that they were at least eleven hours away from civilization, and the guide didn’t want to risk driving that long overnight.

Slowly, everyone filed out of the bus and went their separate ways. Some to book their rooms, others to explore the area.

After grabbing his bag, Joe dumped it next to a nearby bush. He groaned as he stretched his arms up overhead. “God, I can’t wait to take a look at that tree. It’s huge! Do you think they’d let me climb up the vines?”

“Well I won’t keep you waiting.” Ben laughed and made a shoo-ing gesture. “Go on, I’ll catch up with you in a sec.”

“Aww yes!” He whooped and raced away.

Meanwhile, Ben grunted as he struggled to pull his backpack out from the luggage compartment. There weren’t any more bags inside, but no matter how hard he pulled or tried to wriggle it free, it didn’t seem to move even an inch.

“Do you need help with that?” A warm voice behind him asked.

He sighed in relief and turned around. “Yes, please. That wou-” Ben sucked in a breath when he laid eyes on the man that he could only describe as bewitchingly handsome. As the man passed by him, Ben caught a whiff of the captivating scent of wildflowers that seemed to push all rational thought from his mind and replace it with desire. The man reached in, effortlessly pulled his backpack free, and handed it to Ben.

“Um, thank you. You’re very kind.” Ben stuttered, feeling tongue-tied all of a sudden. 

“Anything for a handsome fella like you.” He smiled, showing off perfect, pearly white teeth. Then he held out his hand. “I’m Engkanto.”

“Ben.” He took the offered hand and shook it. But before he could let go, Engkanto held fast and brought their hands up to press a kiss against the back of his hand.

“I-” Ben croaked, his face was flushed and he stammered. He put up his left hand to show the man his engagement ring. “I- uh, I have a fiance.”

“Ah, that’s not surprising. Just look at you!” He traced a fingertip over Ben’s cheekbone then cupped the back of his head, pulling the blond closer. “So beautiful.”

Ben’s eyes went wide. _He’s not going to kiss me, is he?_

“Hey, Benny! Is this guy bothering you?” Saved by the bell. Joe appeared between them, looking crosser than Ben had ever seen him. 

Engkanto pulled back with a smile, letting go of Ben to offer his hand to Joe. “You must be Joseph Mazzello. Ben was telling me all about you.”

“I’m sure he was.” He deliberately ignored the hand. Joe narrowed his eyes at Engkanto, getting more riled up the more he noticed how perfect the other guy looked. “Anyways, we should be going. Right Ben?”

Ben barely managed to stammer a reply before Joe grabbed his own bag and marched off. He hurried to catch up to the redhead. “Nothing happened Joe! He flirted with me then I told him I had a fiance. That’s it.”

Joe came to a sudden stop and whirled to face him. “Oh come on, Ben! You were looking at him like he hung the sun, moon, and stars!”

“Okay, so I admit that I might’ve been a little too star-struck-”

“A little?” He knew he was overreacting, that he was being unfair by jumping to conclusions, but one look at the way Ben gazed at Engkanto was enough to make all his insecurities come bubbling back up to the surface.

“ _Joe._ ” He resisted the urge to rub his face in frustration. Ben took both of Joe’s hands in his and stared into those sad hazel eyes, trying to pour as much sincerity as he could into his words. “I love _you_. Not him - you. He may be attractive but he’s got nothing on the years we’ve spent together. You know me! I’m not going to suddenly up and leave you for the next handsome guy I see! And I mean it. I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

As angry as he was when he saw the man flirting with Ben, Joe knew deep down that Ben was telling the truth and that he meant what he said. He sighed, shoulders drooping low. “Yeah, okay. I believe you. And I’m sorry for doubting you like that.”

“Thank you. There’s nothing to forgive.” Ben smiled softly and pressed a kiss against Joe’s lips. “Now we better go book ourselves a room or we’d end up sleeping on the bus again.”

“I wouldn’t mind if it was with you. After all, we were so rudely interrupted back there.”

He barked out a laugh. “Interrupted? We were in public!”

It didn’t hit Ben until much later that he never actually told Engkanto Joe’s name.

\-----

“No no no no no!” The owner chanted as he tried to wave away a couple in line. “No pregnant women allowed!”

The man gaped then turned a furious shade of red. “Excuse me? We’re in the middle of nowhere and it’s getting dark! You’re telling me you want my wife - who is eight months pregnant, by the way - to get back in the bus for another ten, twelve hours?”

“It’s too dangerous here. She will attract the Tik-tik! Keep driving!”

“What the fuck are you on about?” Slowly, his voice rose in volume until he was nearly shouting. “Listen here old man, I got more than enough money with me right now to book ten rooms at this shitty motel. So you better give us a room or you’ll be hearing from my lawyers real soon!”

“ _Sige_! If you want a room so badly, I can give you one on the ground floor. It’s safer for her to be away from the rooftops.”

The father-to-be scoffed. “No. We are taking a room with a view, and that view is going to be from the second floor.”

Giving up, the owner stared at him as if he were thinking ‘your funeral’ before turning to the man’s wife. “Ma’am, are you sure-”

“I don’t see what all the fucking fuss is about.” She sniffed derisively at the owner. “Just give us the damn room or we’ll sue!”

From the end of the line, Joe made a face and leaned in to whisper in Ben’s ear. “Yikes. Karen and Greg alert!”

“Yeah. I hope I never end up like that.”

“You?? That’s more impossible than the sun having an ice age.”

Ben shook his head, laughing softly. “I wonder what that Tik-tik thing is, though. I’ve never heard of it before. Is it a wild animal?”

He shrugged. “Never heard of it either but I hope we won’t get to find out. Kinda weird that it only goes after pregnant women though.”

As they moved closer along the line, they could see a bulletin board on the back wall that seemed to be in complete contrast to everything they’d seen so far. On it, there were several posters - each one more bewildering than the last. One of them depicted a pale, demonic looking woman whose body had been cut in half at the waist. Her upper half flew around using giant, bat-like wings that sprouted from her back, and from her mouth came an impossibly long tongue that ended in a sharp point. Written in bold red letters were ‘BEWARE THE MANANANGGAL’. Another poster said ‘AVOID TOUCHING THE TIANAK’ over a picture of a bloody newborn baby with mismatching legs. It was snarling wildly and had a mouth full of sharp teeth.

They greeted the owner, an elderly man whose nametag read Diwata. He had dark skin and a kind, noble face. He looked down and eyed their matching rings. “Ay! You are married?”

Joe laughed nervously, unsure of how the man would react. “Uhh, not yet. We’re engaged. That’s not going to be a problem, right?”

“ _Sus uy_! You don’t need to worry.” He waved away their fears then leaned in close, eyes bright and warm. “This reminds me of the romance between Sidapa and Bulan. Long ago, Sidapa, the God of Death, fell in love with the mood gods - each of whom represented a phase of the moon - and was captivated by their beauty. He would ask the birds to sing his praise to the moons and the fireflies to light a path in the sky so that they would know where to find him. One brother, Bulan, accepted his courting and came down to shower Sidapa with love and gifts. As their love blossomed, the great dragon Bakunawa grew furious with jealousy, and rose from the sea to devour the moons. But Sidapa saw this attack and saved Bulan from its wrath. From then on, they lived happily together as husbands on Mt. Madjaas.”

“Uh wow, that’s a nice story-” 

“It is, it is. My _langga_ used to love telling that story to our children when we put them to bed. But be warned, I do not make this comparison lightly. There is a Bakunawa in your near future and you must be careful of the choices you make here.”

Not knowing what to say, Ben and Joe exchanged looks before Joe croaked out a “good to know” and started asking about available rooms.

While the two of them spoke, Ben aimlessly studied the decorations along the hall when a flash of white caught his attention. A small child dressed in all white ran back and forth across the open doorway behind Diwata before stopping to peek their head out from behind the wall and stare at him with wide eyes. He cooed softly. He’d always loved children although he worried that he wouldn’t be a good parent. He smiled and waved at the child, making them laugh.

“Who’re you waving at anyway?” Joe nudged him, looking confused. 

He shrugged. “Just a cute kid.”

Diwata studied him with an unreadable smile. “You must be mistaken. There are no children in my motel.”

“I just saw the kid run by behind you while you were talking. He was right at the doorway.” Ben shook his head in confusion and elbowed Joe lightly. “You saw him too, right Joe? Small kid, really pale, wearing all white.” 

“Uhhhh,” he raised his hands in surrender, “I dunno. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Ahh you mean that child.” Somehow, Diwata’s smile grew even wider and even more unreadable. “Unfortunately, he died several years ago, so you won’t be able to play with him even if you wanted to.”

\-----

Even an hour after getting settled into their room on the second floor, Ben still couldn’t forget Diwata’s words. 

“Do you think ghosts are real?” He asked quietly as he stared out the window.

“Hey.” Joe came up and hugged him from behind, kissing Ben’s neck softly. “He was probably just pranking you. Maybe the kid doesn’t like strangers.”

He hummed noncommittally. “Maybe. Pretty weird excuse, if you ask me.”

“You seemed to really like that kid though, huh?”

“What are you getting at?”

Joe shrugged. “Just thinking about how good you’ll look with a baby in your arms.”

“You want kids.” That wasn’t a question.

“You don’t?”

“Well I-” he broke off with a sigh, shaking his head. “You know I love kids. Just… I dunno.”

“I think you’ll be an amazing father.” Joe replied, reading Ben like an open book.

“You think so?”

“I know so.” He said with as much conviction as he could muster, then leaned in to nip along Ben’s neck.

Ben sighed, moving his head to the side to expose more of his flesh. As the bites grew more hungry and paired with a hot tongue, he began to moan. Joe’s hand slid lower, slipping under the hem of Ben’s pants to palm his dick. At the same time, he ground his growing erection against Ben’s ass, making the blond gasp.

“J-joe...”

The mood was broken when Joe’s stomach started growling, and their surprised giggles grew into boisterous laughter when the noises didn’t stop.

Joe patted his rumbly belly. “Alright, alright, ya little noise-maker! Ugh, I better go get us some food. Hopefully that place across the street does take-out. What about you?”

“I think I definitely need to go to the loo now. I haven’t gotten to pee since we left Salvation Mountain.” Ben laughed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Is there really no bathroom in here?”

Joe shook his head. “Nope. Just a sink and a faucet. Weird huh?”

“Very.”

They walked down together then parted ways, with Joe crossing the street to the creepy-looking restaurant and Ben heading towards the main entrance.

The place was devoid of customers when he entered, so Ben directly walked up to the reception table. “Hi, could you tell me where the toilets are? Our room doesn’t seem to have one.”

“Yes, yes!” Diwata smiled and waved in a young man - the same one that had flirted with him earlier. Engkanto first came up to Diwata, took the older man’s hand and pressed the back of the hand against his forehead - a sign of respect that he would later explain as _Pagmamano_. “My son will show you the way, just be sure to listen to him and you will remain unharmed.”

 _Unharmed!?_ Ben didn’t have time to dwell on the choice of words when Engkanto reached around him to grab his ass, making him yelp and accidentally step closer. “What are-”

“Don’t worry. My father likes to joke around.” Releasing him, Engkanto smiled that perfect smile of his and pointed his thumb behind him. “The outhouse is ‘round back. Come!”

He brought Ben out and showed him the path going around behind the motel to a small hut standing about two dozen feet away from the main building. This time, Engkanto carried a bunch of grapes that he ate with a seductive precision. He would place each grape between lips shaped into a perfect ‘o’ before taking it in, moaning softly as he bit into it. Then he would offer to feed one to Ben, pressing the fruit against his mouth and watching him with those disarmingly soft brown eyes. 

It felt so harmless - it was just fruit, after all - but every time, Ben would think of Joe and remember the hurt in his eyes. And he just couldn’t betray him like that. 

“No, thank you.” Ben would say. “I’m not hungry right now.”

When they rounded the corner to the back of the motel, they came upon a large termite mound that was almost as tall as Ben was. Before they could pass it, Engkanto stopped him and spoke to him in an uncharacteristically serious voice. “Now, this is very important. Whenever you pass by that mound, you need to be polite and say ‘ _tabi tabi po’_. Trust me, you don’t want to offend the Nuno that lives there.”

“I don’t understand.” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “It’s a pile of dirt.”

The guy rolled his eyes and stared at him with a hint of exasperation. “You need to be polite to the Nuno or risk their wrath. I said _tabi tabi po_ to the Nuno. Now you say _tabi tabi po_ to the Nuno.”

As Ben stared at the termite mound, it seemed to hiss menacingly and grow in size before his very eyes. Then he shook his head a little, blinking furiously, and the mound was back to its normal, silent form.

Ben said _tabi tabi po_ to the Nuno, and he even did a little bow for good measure.

“There we go!” Engkanto grinned that perfect grin of his, stepping forward to kiss Ben on the lips. “I knew you were a fast learner!”

Ben internally cursed the blush that spread across his cheeks, but was grateful he managed to stop himself from returning the kiss. “I do hope that was just a friendship kiss.”

He laughed lightly and shook his head at Ben, looking like he knew something Ben didn’t. “Yes, I know. Your fiance is a very lucky man.”

“Good.” Ben nodded, then pointed towards the toilets. “Well then, I’ll be doing my thing. You don’t need to wait for me.”

To his dismay, Engkanto was waiting for him outside the hut. He took Ben by the hand and led him to the large tree.

“Did you know,” he said all of a sudden as he stared up at the tree before them, “that our balete is over 500 years old?”

“That’s incredible. No wonder it’s so big!” Ben’s eyes widened in amazement. He reached out and ran his fingers over the rough bark. This close, he could see that it wasn’t a single tree but multitudes of trees growing and intertwining together to become one massive whole, and what he initially thought were vines were actually the roots reaching for the ground.

“The balete is home to all kinds of beings. It is one of the very few places where they can be safe.”

“Beings? You mean like birds and squirrels?”

He barked out a laugh. “Not quite. I mean beings like the Nuno and the Duwende. Beings with power and magic beyond your wildest imaginations. This is where the Dalakitnon love to dock their ships, and if you’re very lucky, you would be able to see the Lampong - a dwarf that takes the form of a white stag. On most nights though, it would be the Kapre.”

“What’s that?”

“The Kapre is a big, hairy giant. Smokes a lot.” He then pointed to a specific spot on the gigantic balete tree. “Sits right there where the trunk starts branching out. You can’t miss him!”

“Uh-huh.” Well that was completely unexpected and Ben wasn’t sure how to answer him without sounding rude. “That’s neat.”

“I like that you’re so respectful. Not many people are - they’d rather say that we’re crazy. Two decades ago, some businessmen tried to have our tree bulldozed to make way for a mall. They wanted to destroy our fields and our home, and replace it with concrete and metal - desolate, lifeless things!”

“That’s horrible.” The place looked so beautiful. Why would anyone want to get rid of it?

“Their actions angered the spirits living here. Whenever the machines got close to the tree, it would suddenly stall and shut down. The same happened when they used chainsaws. Then when they decided to bring their axes, the handles would burst into pieces as they swung. Later the businessmen all died from mysterious illnesses. Boils and rashes covered every inch of their skin. They became sick and no doctor could figure out the cause.”

As they walked back from the toilets, there came a sudden shower of rain even though the sun was still out and not a single cloud was in sight.

Engkanto looked up and laughed lightly. “Looks like ol’ Tikbalang is finally getting married!”

“Oh?” Ben tilted his head back, confused as to how the strange weather could mean that. But not wanting to offend, he added. “Then I guess congratulations are in order.”

“Indeed!” He wrapped an arm around Ben’s waist. “Come! We should go tell my father the news!”

\-----

Just before the sun sank beneath the earth, Joe returned with arms laden with food and drink. While they ate, Joe vented about his weird encounter with the restaurant workers.

“Can you believe that place only has two people working there?” He ranted around a mouthful of adobo. “Just two sisters who are literally as different as night and day. But only Mangita works! She’s the one with black hair and dark brown skin. The blond, white one doesn’t do shit. That - what’s her name - Larina just sits there combing her hair. Says she’s too busy trying to get these ‘seeds’ out, whatever that’s supposed to mean. Apparently, it’s her punishment for killing Mangita when they were younger.”

Ben choked a bit on his rice. “Now that’s just messed up.”

“I know! And Mangita was great! Really nice and kind to people. Obviously people would like her more! I tried to help her with the dishes and the cleaning for a bit but then she kicked me out ‘cause she didn’t want to keep me in after dark.”

“Poor girl. Is there any way we can help her?”

“I dunno. Didn’t see a manager anywhere. Wish I could’ve done more though.” He mulled it over before shaking his head. “What about you? Know where the toilets are?”

Ben winced. “Yeah, it’s all the way back, behind the motel. But there’s this weird thing about the-”

“The termite mound? Yeah, Multo told me about it too. Do they really expect us to greet it every time we pass by it? That’s crazy! Glad I took a piss at the resto instead of having to do that.”

“It does, but-” he recalled how sinister it became when he first refused. “Just promise me you’ll do it? The greeting thing?”

His tone made Joe sit up straighter. “What happened?”

Ben gnawed at his lower lip, knowing Joe would be pissed about what he’d say next but not wanting to keep secrets from him. “I just have this horrible feeling about that mound. When Engkanto told me about it, he seemed pretty serious, like something bad will happen if I didn’t. He didn’t hurt me or anything, just- after I did it, he kind of kissed me.”

“Kind of?”

“Okay, he kissed me. Gave me a quick peck on the lips.” Ben sighed and started to pack up their trash. “Then I reminded him that we’re just friends. Honestly, I’m not sure what else to do. He even tried to feed me some grapes on the way there. And he’s so touchy! Always grabbing me by the hand or my waist or my _ass_. He’s really hot and all, but he just can’t seem to understand the word ‘no’.”

“You sure you don’t want me to give him a piece of my mind?” Joe punched his open palm in a threatening manner, to which Ben rolled his eyes fondly. 

“I can take care of myself Joe. Besides, we’re just here for the night. By tomorrow morning, we’ll be back on the road and we’ll never have to see him again.”

“We better not.” Joe grumbled to himself.

Laughing softly, Ben leaned in to give him a reassuring kiss when the lights started flickering uncontrollably.

“Ugh!” Joe groaned, banging the back of his head against the headboard. “What’s the deal with this place? First, some guy keeps flirting with my fiance, then the toilets. Now this?”

“You know what, I’ll go talk to Diwata.” He lightly slapped Joe’s thigh and got up from the bed. “Be right back.”

Ben stepped out into the warm, humid night and turned to the flight of stairs leading to the ground floor only to stop short at the sight of a shadowy figure on the steps. It was in the shape of a man and he was leaning over the railing, watching the unaware drinkers down below. As if just noticing Ben, the man slowly turned to face him. But there was no face to see, just darkness and two bright red eyes that almost seemed to glow.

Then Ben blinked, and the man was gone as if he was never there in the first place. He let out a breath that he didn’t realize he’d been holding and slowly went down the stairs. There was nothing and no one on the staircase, but the whole way down he could feel the soft press of fingertips walking up his spine.

He tried not to listen as one of the drinkers regaled the others with a terrifying experience she and her two friends just had a few minutes ago when they went to take a leak. According to her, they’d seen a glowing white figure walking around near the balete tree. When one of them tried to approach it, they all felt an ice-cold hand grab each of them by their wrists. The hand yanked them away from the figure, but there was no one around when they turned to see who pulled them.

\-----

Meanwhile, Joe was having problems of his own. Right after the door clicked shut, he started hearing strange scratching sounds coming from the large closet. There was something sinister moving around inside the dresser, and it was trying to get out.

The lights were blinking furiously now, and the bed he was sitting on shook as if there was an earthquake going on. The closet door slowly creaked open, pushed outwards by a shadowy clawed hand. 

He started praying, calling out for St. Michael, the protector.

The shadow hissed out a laugh. _“Saint Michael isn’t here right now.”_

“Hey Joe, I’m back! So Diwata said they were having some electricity issues, but it should be fine by now.”

Joe blinked and everything was back to normal. The lights weren’t flickering, the bed wasn’t shaking, and the closet was empty. Ben was standing at the doorway, innocent and unaware of the thing that he’d been facing a moment ago.

“Joe?” Ben took his shoes off and climbed on the bed, wrapping his fiance in a warm hug. “Hey are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“More like a demon.” He blurted out.

“Demon?”

“Yep. In the closet.”

“The closet?” Ben echoed, getting more confused each second.

“And the bed. And the lights. A-a-a fucking shadow demon in the closet and-”

“Hey, hey, hey. There’s no demon here, Joe.” He went to straddle Joe’s lap, rubbing his hands up and down Joe’s arms soothingly. “You’re safe. I think the stress of this whole trip is getting to us and we just… need to relax.”

“Yeah, sure, relax.” Joe replied faintly.

“Mmhmm.” Ben trailed open-mouthed kisses along Joe’s jawline and rocked his hips on the lap he was straddling. “You know, I’m hoping to get fucked tonight. Wanna continue where we left off?”

Joe groaned, but for a completely different reason this time. He forced the memory behind him, putting it off as some weird hallucination. 

He grabbed Ben’s hips, pulling him close before turning the both of them over. Ben squealed as he was flipped onto his back, legs falling open as Joe pressed him into the mattress.

Joe kissed him soundly. “God, I love you.”

“My name’s Ben, you know.”

“Hah! Has anyone ever told you that you’re cheeky?” He hooked his fingers under the hem of Ben’s pants, pulling it as well as his underwear just low enough to expose his cock. The non-stretchable material bound Ben’s thighs together, so Joe moved both legs to the side and held them up with one arm. The other arm immediately went to give Ben’s dick several rough tugs.

Ben moaned, grasping at the bedsheets. “Nghh- yeah, a couple of people. You gonna fuck me dry?”

“Just say the word and I’ll get the lube.” And when Ben remained silent, he nodded, hand leaving Ben’s cock so that he could unzip his own pants and free his member. “You still loose from-”

“Yesterday? Hell yeah.” Ben reached down to help Joe get ready, quickly jerking him off and rubbing his thumb over the slit to milk the leaking precum and spread it over Joe’s dick.

“Fuck, Ben. The things you do to me.” He hiked Ben’s legs higher up, resting them over his shoulder. In that position, Joe had a good view of his entrance. He replaced Ben’s hand with his own and gave himself a few more jerks before pressing himself into Ben.

“Ah!” Ben keened, head dropping into the pillow and fingers scrabbling for purchase. “Fuck! Joe, did you get bigger?”

Joe groaned as he bottomed out. “Not to my knowledge. Why?”

“You feel bigger.” He gasped. “Bigger than before and it’s so good. So fucking good!”

“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment. Hey, do you think we should use this position more often if it makes my dick feel bigger?”

“Fuck, Joe! We’ll talk about that later. Just fuck me already!” Ben whined impatiently, tilting his hips in a way so that he could feel the rough drag of Joe’s dick sliding deeper into him.

“As you wish, Benny.” Joe grabbed Ben’s hips and quickly set a fast pace, feeling Ben’s body initially tense up then become pliant and accepting as Joe roughly slammed into him. He reveled in the sight of Ben in pure ecstasy: face flushed, eyes closed, jaw lax, breath coming in harsh gasps, body writhing uncontrollably, hands gripping the sheets so hard that his knuckles turned white.

He leaned down, fully bending his fiance in half, and jerked Ben off in time to his thrusts. Joe pressed heated kisses against Ben’s willing mouth once, twice, a third time, until Ben started begging to be able to cum.

“Joe- Joe please! Ah! I-I need- I- Joe!”

“Need what, Benny?” He gasped, feeling the growing pressure in his groin. He was close too.

Ben whined. “You know what! Gonna cum. Please- ah!”

“Then go on. Come for me, love!”

The words tipped him over the edge, and Ben came with a loud cry, spilling out all over his clothes. Joe fucked him through his orgasm before pulling out and jerking himself off quickly until he added his own release on Ben’s shirt.

The room was filled with panted breaths as they came down from their highs. Joe carefully lowered Ben’s legs onto the bed and helped him out of his clothes, throwing everything into a dirty heap on the floor.

“Hey Joe.” Ben lay naked on his side, one arm bent so that he could rest his head on his hand. “Draw me like one of your French girls.”

Joe laughed loudly and mimed drawing on his open palm. They giggled like children and the tension they felt earlier was gone, replaced with a relaxed contentment. It wasn’t long before Joe removed his own clothes. He switched off the lights and joined Ben under the duvet. 

“I love you, Ben.” He pressed a long kiss over Ben’s hairline before wrapping himself along the blond’s back. Joe threw an arm around his waist, and instinctively, Ben took the offered hand and linked their fingers together. “So much.”

Even with his eyes closed from exhaustion, Ben smiled happily. “I love you too, Joe.”

Ben was asleep within minutes, but Joe stayed awake for a long while. For some reason, he couldn’t seem to shake off the feeling that they were being watched.

\-----

In the dream, Ben was having sex.

But instead of Joe, the man he saw on top of him was Engkanto, with his perfectly tanned morena skin, soft brown doe-eyes, and dark curls. Instead of Joe, it was Engkanto pinning him down on the bed, entering him, and fucking him to completion. 

Engkanto lit up a fire under his skin, making him feel more pleasure than he’d ever felt before. But it just felt… wrong.

“N-no.” He moaned, trying to fight against the other man. “No. I want Joe, not you.”

Engkanto stopped moving, looking a little surprised. Then he smiled down at Ben. “Good answer.”

\-----

Ben woke up with a start and it took a few dazed moments to realize that nothing sinister had caused it. It was just the feeling of fullness and pressure in his bladder. The dream he just had felt so real. But try as he might, he couldn’t seem to remember a single detail anymore. The bright light of the digital clock beside him told him it was 3:13AM. 

Of all the bloody times to need to take a piss. Bloody three in the morning. Normally, Ben wasn’t a superstitious guy, but after everything that’s been going on, he was starting to become a believer. He tried to hold it in until the hour passed but his bladder was killing him, and after an intense wait, he ended up needing to roll out of bed at a mere 3:39AM. Time just could _not_ move any faster. 

Joe was still spooning him and Ben could already feel his fiance’s morning wood pressing against his thigh. His ass was a little sore - a pleasant reminder of last night’s activity - but right now he had a more urgent matter at hand. He slowly pulled their hands apart and inched away, trying not to wake the other man - to no avail. Joe’s arm tightened around his waist as he shifted awake. “Hnggh… Ben?”

“It’s alright, just need to pee. I’ll be back soon, love.” He squeezed Joe’s hand then got up from the bed, changing into a new set of clothes and mentally preparing himself before leaving the room.

This time, he stepped out into a warm fog. It was light, at least, and easily dissipated into the air. Then he took a deep breath in, and the strong smell of tobacco assaulted his nostrils. _Wait. This isn’t a fog, this is smoke._ But where could it be coming from? Nothing looked to be on fire. There was also a strange noise in the air. A faint tik-tik-tik-tik-tik that did nothing to calm his nerves.

No more shadow-man on the stairs, thank god. But even when he sprinted down the steps, he still couldn’t escape the creepy fingertips crawling over his back.

He stuttered out a quick greeting to the termite mound both times he passed it by as he came to and from the toilets. There was no way he wanted to risk anything.

But as he made his way back, a soft glow coming from the big balete tree drew his attention. Thousands of fireflies floated in and around its branches in a mesmerizing dance. _It’s beautiful._ He thought. Slowly, Ben came closer to the tree as if he were in a trance. Then he noticed there was one light that didn’t seem to move the same way the fireflies did. The small orange light went back and forth in a slow rhythm, becoming more intense for a moment on one side, then dying out into a weak glow on the other side. Every now and then, a thick smoke would appear, billowing out in harsh curls as if it had been blown out of someone’s-

Mouth. 

With a sharp gasp, Ben realized that there was someone up there, smoking a huge blunt between the branches of the tree. The soft light barely illuminated the outline of the person’s - no, giant’s - face. The Kapre looked down at him almost curiously, and Ben scrambled to greet them.

“Erm, hello there. Tabi tabi po?”

Another gust of smoke, and the Kapre huffed out a laugh. From the light of the cigarette, it looked like they were smiling at what he just said. Then suddenly, their eyes hardened and flicked up to look at something behind Ben. The tik-tik-tik-tik sound was getting louder and louder.

There was a sudden crash coming from the motel, making Ben jump and whirl around. Then came a scratching sound, like nails scraping over wood panels. There was something on the roof. Something large, with bat-like wings on its back. Something that was making that godawful tik-tik-tik sounds.

“Oh my god.” He gasped in horror. It was the creature that Diwata was talking about. The thing that went after pregnant women.

As if it heard him, the creature looked up to glare at Ben. Dark, leathery wings unfurled and launched itself into the air. With a piercing shriek, it dove straight for him. Terrified, he turned to the Kapre. Maybe they could help. 

But when he did, the world seemed to _change_. Instead of standing on the clear pathway, he was now surrounded by trees. Narrow, winding elephant paths branched out in all directions away from him. 

“What the hell?” He turned around again and again, but nothing happened. No more cobblestone walkways, no more balete tree, no more motel. Just grassy earth beneath his feet and moss-covered trees as far as he could see.

Then the screaming started. Loud, mournful wailing that came from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Engulfed by fear and panic, his knees buckled and gave out, leaving him in a heap on the cold ground. Panting harshly, he tried to get his breathing into some semblance of order. _This can’t be real._ He felt around. Maybe he was just imagining things. But as he felt the soft earth beneath him instead of hard cobblestone rock, it started to sink in that this was definitely real.

\-----

The moment Ben left, Joe had thrown himself out of bed and switched on all the lights in the room.

“C’mon Joe, you’re a grown man,” he muttered to himself as he pulled on a pair of pants, “you shouldn’t be afraid of the dark.”

He just about jumped out of his skin when there came a loud bang from the roof, then something big scratching and skittering across the wood panels. Heart pounding in his chest, he tried to convince himself of a less supernatural reason for the noise. “It’s just raccoons, Joey. Just some dumb raccoons being assholes. Yes, that’s it. Raccoons.”

Somebody laughed behind him and he jumped a foot into the air. He whirled around but there was no one but him in the room.

 _That’s it! I’m getting Ben._ He grabbed his phone and zoomed out the door, ignoring the light fog and the creepy tik-tik-tik sounds behind him.

He rounded the corner and stopped short, arms windmilling in an effort to avoid crashing into the biggest black dog he’s ever seen. It’s skeletal figure seemed to have suddenly appeared out of thin air and nearly towered over him as it sniffed his face. His panicked scream was cut off when he heard someone gasp in front of him. Directing his phone light at the source revealed the most enchanting woman he’d ever seen.

“Shit!” He cried, then immediately winced at his choice of words. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you! I wasn’t expecting to run into anyone this late at night.”

“Not at all! I should have carried a light with me. I thought this big baby would be enough.” The woman pet her dog’s back as it sniffed Joe up and down. After a moment, it started wagging it’s tail excitedly and woofed in Joe’s face.

“His name is Wirwir.” She said in a soft voice. “He likes you.”

“Yeah?”

“Either that, or you’re dead. He’s very good at finding corpses.” She said in a mock-serious voice.

“I’ll stick with him liking me.” He laughed as he gave the dog a few pats. “He’s a Cadaver Dog?”

“In a sense. He doesn’t have training but he’s very good at it.” She shrugged. “And who might you be?”

“Oh!” Joe startled a bit and held out his hand. “Sorry, I’m Joe.”

“Engkantada.” When she stepped closer to give him a firm handshake, she smelled of wildflowers and Joe found himself subconsciously breathing deeper to take in as much of her intoxicating scent.

“Huh. By any chance are you related to Engkanto?”

“Ah, yes.” She gave him a knowing look. “My twin brother.”

 _Oh my god. So they’re both perfect._ “Wow, that’s great. Well, can you tell your twin brother to stay away from my fiance?”

Her laugh was light and her eyes twinkled like starlight, making Joe’s heart flutter in his ribcage.

“I will.” She said with a smile. Then she stepped forward and placed her hand on Joe’s arm. 

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” She said in a breathy, mesmerizing voice that made his mouth water in anticipation. Engkantada slowly leaned in, pressing their lips together in a heated kiss, and Joe swore sparks flew. In an instant, he forgot all his troubles. All rational thought left his mind and was replaced with desire for the woman right in front of him.

Joe kissed back with equal fervor. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against him. Their bodies fit together perfectly and their lips moved in sync. His hands mapped the curves of her figure, going down to grab her ass then back up to squeeze her breasts, and he relished the soft noises that she made. She was soft and supple in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. Nothing at all like the hard muscle that belonged to… _to Ben_.

Suddenly, his heart seized up and the contents of his stomach curdled, making him want to vomit. Joe gasped and roughly pushed her away. “No! Shit- no. What the hell am I doing?”

“What do you mean? Did I do something wrong?” The way she spoke just felt so captivating that he almost fell under her spell again. “Can we try this again?”

“No!” Joe slapped himself as hard as he could, the sharp stinging pain literally knocking some sense into him, and he scrambled back several steps. “Look, you’re gorgeous and all but I really mean it when I say that I would never cheat on Ben like this.”

It was almost unreal how she managed to make a scoff sound pleasant. “Never? Even after this?” She cupped her breasts and pouted cutely at him.

He tasted bile when he remembered exactly what he’d just done, and swallowed hard. “No. I- I love Ben, and I don’t know what you did to me but I’m not going to throw everything we have just for some pretty lady. So if you’ll excuse me, I need to go look for him.”

Her head tilted to the side. “You say you love him, but what does he even mean to you?”

“Everything. He means everything to me.”

For a long moment, she studied him curiously. Then a genuine smile broke out across her face. “Good answer.”

“Good answer!? What-”

“You just missed him.” She said, pointing at the big balete tree covered in fireflies. “You won’t find him right now. The Aswang is hunting him and he is lost, trapped in its maze. But if he listened carefully to my brother’s warnings, he should be able to escape. If that happens, you will see him by the balete. But be warned, time moves differently where he is, and you may not find him at the same moment he frees himself.” 

“Wha- maze? Hunting him? That doesn’t make any sense! What’s an Aswang? What are you talki-”

“I hope he finds his way.” She interrupted his rant. “He seemed like a good man. I’d have taken him for myself if my brother hadn’t staked a claim on him first. I wouldn’t even try to eat him.”

“EAT HIM?!”

Before he could say anything more, she kissed his cheek and continued on her way, Wirwir following at her heels.

Like she said, Ben was nowhere to be found. He checked inside the toilets, around the motel and restaurant grounds, every place he could think of. Dejectedly, he stalked back to the tree and sat down on the wet grass. All he could do now was to wait by the tree and pray as the fog slowly dissipated.

\-----

There was something crying out there, like a woman wailing in pain and sorrow, and it broke Ben’s heart to ignore it. A few times, he would get up and take a few steps towards the source of the sounds, but every time he did, the trail started growing more and more convoluted. The way before him would have more twists and turns while the trail behind him vanished, replaced with trees and untrampled grass. 

That was when he would chicken out and sink back down on the ground. There was a growing deep feeling in his gut that whatever was making that noise wasn’t human.

“Hello?” He called out into the darkness. “Who’s there? Are you hurt?”

At first there was no response, just more wailing. Then the voice shifted, changing into the voice of a lost, frightened child screaming for their mother. It pulled at his heartstrings but also cemented his theory that the noise wasn’t being made by a human. It also terrified him even more. What could it possibly want from him?

There had to be a way out of this. But how? Nothing made sense from the start, when his surroundings literally changed before his eyes and he found himself in the woods with no clue as to where he was or how he got there.

Then he remembered one of the many strange pieces of advice Engkanto told him about - the one with the creatures that loved to play tricks on travelers. But the solution he gave just seemed so far-fetched. 

_Do I even have a choice?_ He asked himself. It’s not like he had any other ideas.

He sighed then removed his shirt, turned it inside out, and put it back on. Immediately, his surroundings faded away and he was back in front of the balete tree. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, bathing the world in a beautiful golden glow. The Kapre looked down at him and nodded approvingly before disappearing.

“Ben?” A voice called out nearby. “Ben!”

He looked to the left and a red-haired blur tackled him in a hug.

Joe nearly wept with relief. “Jesus Christ, Ben! You’re okay! Oh thank god you’re okay. Where have you been? I’ve been waiting here for you for hours!” 

Then he pulled away and gave Ben a once-over. “Why’s your shirt inside out?”

“I just-” Ben just shook his head, not knowing where to start. “I needed to pee, then the Kapre, then there was- on the roof. A monster.”

“On the roof?” Joe asked nervously. He’d been ignoring the sounds coming from the motel, too afraid of what he might find. “No, no, it was probably just raccoons or something.”

“That wasn’t a raccoon, Joe! It looked way too big to be one. It was more like- I dunno- like that poster in the reception hall. The one with the lady with the bat wings! That Tik-tik Diwata was talking about! And they left their window open. The baby-”

“Hey, hey! Calm down Benny!” Joe rubbed Ben’s back, worriedly trying to sooth his panicking beloved. “That was hours ago. You probably just had a bad dream. Everything’s fine-”

“No, everything is not fine!” Frustrated tears prickled out from the corners of his eyes. “I’m not imagining things. I was only gone for like twenty, thirty minutes tops! I’m telling you, there is something wrong with this place!”

“Not wrong. Just different.” A voice in front of them spoke.

Joe growled, holding Ben tighter and twisting them both so that he was between Engkanto and Ben. “Where did you come from?”

He shrugged. “The balete tree, of course.”

“The- what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“I live there.” Engkanto replied with a steely voice, talking to Joe as if he were particularly slow. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes that hinted at the horrors he could bring down on Joe if the redhead wasn’t careful.

Ben quickly stood up and placed himself between Engkanto and Joe. “You’re not human, are you?” He blurted out.

“Very good, Benjamin.” He smirked. “But do you know what kind?”

Now that he knew Engkanto wasn’t human, all the strange things he’d said and done began to make sense. He sucked in a breath when the realization hit him. “I- You’re a fairy! Or at least, similar to one. That’s why you kept trying to seduce me and feed me those grapes. You’re trying to trap me here!”

This time, Engkanto grinned. “I’m an Engkanto, specifically, but you’re very close! I knew you were a fast learner.” He cupped the back of Ben’s head and dragged him in for a kiss.

“Hey! Get your hands off him!” Joe tried to move forward and push Engkanto away, but his legs were rooted to the spot by an unseen force. _How the hell?_

For a split second, it seemed like Ben had fallen into a trance as his shoulders relaxed and he almost leaned into the kiss. But he quickly snapped out of it and tried to pull away. “No! I’m not falling for your spell. Look, I- I already told you I am engaged to a man that I love. I’m not interested in you and I’m not looking for anyone else. Let go of me!” He said, whining a little when Engkanto’s hand slipped down to grab his ass.

“Well you should be. As I recall, while you were gone, your dear Joseph was enjoying my sister’s company. According to her, he was very passionate and hands-on.”

“What?” Ben twisted around to look at Joe with the most heartbroken expression the redhead had ever seen. “You-”

“That’s not what happened! Not the way he’s implying! She kissed me first and- okay I admit, I kissed her back-”

“And grabbed her breasts too, don’t forget! His hands went everyw-”

“Shut up you fucking asshole!” He glared, pointing a threatening finger at Engkanto, who merely smiled serenely at him. Joe forced himself to look Ben in the eyes, even with all the guilt eating at him inside. “Yes, I did that. But only at first! It was like she put a spell on me. Made me think that kissing her was the best thing ever. But I broke the spell because I remembered you, Ben. I remembered how much I love you, and how much you mean to me. Just like you told me before, I’m not going anywhere either. Please, you have to believe me.”

By the end of it, Ben had tears in his eyes. He still looked hurt but managed to nod shakily. “I- I believe you.”

“He must mean a lot to you.” Engkanto looked like he was in deep contemplation, unused to this turn of events.

“He means everything to me.” Ben tried again to break free from Engkanto’s impossibly strong hold on him. “Please let me go.”

Engkanto barked out a laugh and shook his head with a smile on his face. He nuzzled Ben’s cheek, leaning in to whisper in the blond’s ear. “Good answer.” Then he released Ben and stepped away, walking lightly towards the motel.

Suddenly, Joe was able to move again and he immediately went to hold Ben in his arms. If looks could kill, Engkanto would’ve died a thousand times over.

“You were very lucky, Joseph!” Engkanto called back as he walked. “They say if it gets dark while you’re inside that restaurant, you’re never seen again. Did you not ask yourself why there were so many cars in the parking lot but less than five people inside?”

Only when he disappeared around the corner did Joe begin to relax. He cupped Ben’s face, his thumb absentmindedly stroking Ben’s cheekbone. “You alright? Did he hurt you?”

“No, I’m fine.” He shook his head. “But he said something weird. After I told him to let go and that you mean everything to me, he said ‘good answer’. I don’t get it. Do you think he was testing me?”

“If he was, then that was a really fucked-up way of doing it.” Joe replied in a clipped voice, trying and failing to rein in his anger at Engkanto for Ben’s sake. 

“If you piss him off, he could put a curse on you!” He warned, knowing the look on Joe’s face would bring nothing but trouble.

“Curse or not, he can’t just-”

“I mean it, Joe!” Ben grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of me. I am not going to lose you just like that.”

“You can’t just let him-”

“I can, and I will. Just like how I’m going to ignore you making out with his sister!”

Joe swallowed hard, guilt rendering him silent.

Ben sighed deeply and took his hands. “Look, I get it. She did the same thing Engkanto was doing to me. It pisses me off too, but what’s important is that we still chose each other in the end, okay?” 

He squeezed Joe’s hands and after a long pause, Joe finally looked him back in the eye and nodded shakily.

“I love you, Joe.”

“I love you too, Ben.” He whispered.

\-----

Their motel room door barely had time to close behind them before Joe was shoved against it and Ben was mouthing hot kisses all over his face and neck. 

“Never scare me like that again.” He said in between kisses.

Joe hugged him close. “I could say the same about you. You’re the one that went missing.”

He shivered as he remembered his ordeal. “I thought I was gonna go mad there. It sounded so real and it just kept screaming and screaming and I didn’t know what to do and-”

“Shhh now. It’s okay. You’re safe now, Ben. You’re safe.”

Ben pressed himself closer, burying his face into Joe’s shoulder. “Make love to me? Please?”

“Thought you’d never ask.” Still hugging, he walked forwards and Ben fell in step, backing up until he felt the bed hit the back of his knees. They took their time removing every article of clothing, but it didn’t take long for Ben to spread his legs nor for Joe to line up and enter him.

The next hour passed by in a blissful daze as the pair exchanged heated kisses, hands roaming everywhere as they rediscovered each other in body and soul. They moved slowly, savoring every moment as they reaffirmed their love and devotion to one another. Ben held onto Joe tightly, gasping and moaning with every thrust.

And when everything was over, they stayed cuddled close for a good while before finally moving to get changed and to pack their belongings.

They had just finished when a bloodcurdling scream pierced through the air, making them jump.

Heart pounding in his ribcage, Ben pressed himself against Joe. “What was that?”

“I dunno but it sounded like it came from next door.”

“This day just keeps getting better and better.”

There was a commotion behind their door as whoever was crying was carried outside.

Joe groaned. “Would it kill them to give us a break and let us leave in peace?!”

They carried their bags out and found a small crowd gathered in the community area. At the center of it was the pregnant woman from yesterday morning. She was bleeding from a wound at the center of her stomach, and her whole belly looked noticeably flatter. 

“YOU!!” Her husband jabbed a finger in Diwata’s face. “Fucking bastard! You did this!”

“Take care how you speak to me.” Diwata stood tall and proud, his stormy gaze was the only indication as to his true feelings on the matter. “I warned you of the Manananggal, the Tik-tik, the eater of the unborn, yet you did not listen. The only ones at fault are you and your wife.”

“You really expect us to believe that shit?” He screamed obscenities at the elder, saying he must have attacked them while they slept. When that didn’t affect Diwata’s composure, he threatened to sue. That he would destroy them and leave the whole place in ruins. By the time he’d be finished, there would be nothing left of the fields, the motel, nor their tree. He stomped his feet, grinding his heels on the flowers and ignoring the workers who told him to stop.

Then all of a sudden, he did stop. His tirade came to a screeching halt when he began to cough in loud, noisy hacks as if he was choking on something. After several painful-sounding coughs, he gagged and spat something dark into his hands.

His eyes bugged out.

Whatever was in his hands must have been bad because he was now screaming in an altogether different tone - horror. He started scratching at his throat, fingers digging into his skin and leaving bloody red marks in their wake. His voice cut off. And then _it_ happened.

As one, the whole group stepped back in horror. Small, black beetles started crawling out of his mouth in droves and ate away at his flesh. His body began to spasm uncontrollably and he fell to the ground with a soft thud, going still after a few moments. Then, bright green shoots began to sprout all over his prone form, growing directly out of his skin. In less than a minute, his body looked no more different than all the other small mounds scattered across the field.

Diwata nodded once then turned and walked away, the crowd parting before him like the Red Sea. Some of them looked around with pale, ashen faces as they realized what the other mounds could be.

Joe gently pulled Ben away from the crowd. “You know what, we should go wait on the bus. I don’t think we should spend another minute in this place.”

“Good idea.” He nodded, and they quickly made their way to the vehicle.

When he noticed Engkanto blocking their path, Joe groaned in aggravation and immediately placed himself in front of Ben. “You again? What the hell are you up to this time?”

“You have nothing to fear. I just want to say goodbye to Ben.”

He narrowed his eyes at the sort-of-fairy. Truthfully, Joe didn’t want him anywhere near Ben, but something told him that Engkanto was being sincere for once. “Fine. But I swear if you try anything, your magic won’t keep me from punching you!”

“I understand.”

Ben came forward, looking up at him a little nervously.

Joe tensed up when he saw Engkanto take Ben’s hand, but decided to remain silent when Ben didn’t react. 

Engkanto smiled softly. “You’ve done well, refusing me - and so politely too! Most people would not have granted their lovers the same loyalty. For that, I am glad. You and your Joseph will live long, blessed, happy lives.”

Ben stared at him curiously. “Really?”

“You have my word.” 

“What? You can predict the future too?” Joe was a little skeptical, but Engkanto wasn’t human after all.

“I can.” He puffed up his chest proudly. And after a beat, he added. “My congratulations, you’ll be having children soon, too.”

“Hah! Finally, some good fucking news!” Behind Ben, Joe pumped his fist in celebration. Then he froze. “Wait. ‘Children’? Like the plural kind?”

Engkanto chuckled at the action. “I must admit, I didn’t like you at first. But now, you seem to be growing on me.”

“Oh. Uh, well that’s great!” He bit his lip, eyes momentarily flicking to Ben. “I actually want to say something rude to you but Ben will be mad at me if I do.”

“Good answer.” Snickering, he dipped his hand into his pocket and produced a number of small bracelets with red and gold beading. Engkanto handed them to Ben with a flourish. “For the children. It will protect them from harm and evil spirits.”

“Oh! Thank you. This means a lot.” He received the gift gratefully, smiling softly at Joe’s slightly terrified ‘oh my god, six kids?!’.

“It’s the least I can do after harassing you like that.”

Joe chose that moment to butt in. “You could also tell us why you kept trying to trap us here. Like, why do you need so many people?”

For a moment, it looked like he was about to laugh. “Oh, we eat them.”

“What?”

“We break them in body and spirit, slowly feeding on their life force until all that is left is an empty, withering husk of a man. Or at least, my sister and I do. The others just eat them the way any carnivore would eat raw meat. The Aswang, especially, has quite the appetite.” He breezily replied with a nonchalant shrug.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Ben and Joe stared at Engkanto in horror.

“Please tell me that was a joke.” Ben choked weakly.

“I could, but that would be a lie. Diwata is one of the few beings here that doesn’t, since he gets his energy from nature. The dead, like the sisters and the spirits, don’t need to eat at all.” Then he leaned to the side to look behind them. “I believe it looks like your guide is calling for everyone to pack their belongings and board the bus now. Farewell to you both! I hope to never see you here again.”

Joe nodded back, slinging his bag over his shoulder and motioning at Ben to hurry. “Likewise.”

\-----

“Can you believe that shit about the termite hill?” Two rows in front of Ben and Joe, a woman complained to a guy across the aisle as she scratched at a nasty-looking rash that covered what they could see of her arms. 

The man didn’t look like he was faring any better, furiously itching his chest and back. He also had large boils covering his whole head and neck. He had struggled getting on the bus - his limbs not moving the same way they did yesterday. By the end of the week, he would be dead. “Yeah. Guess what? I pissed all over it!”

“Really?” She laughed uproariously. “Wish I did that too. God those people are so fucking stupid. Did they really expect me to greet some lump of dirt literally every time I passed by it? Bullshit!”

“What’s stupid is that they put the toilet so fucking far away. Well guess what? I drank a lot so I needed to go pronto. And it’s not like anyone would know.”

“Jesus Christ! What was on those sheets?” She swore all of a sudden, finding no relief from the itchiness. “I wake up and I’m covered in this shit!”

“Can’t be the sheets. My gf was with me, and she doesn’t have a single rash.”

Said girlfriend spoke up, a little irritated. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have pissed all over that Nuno’s house.”

“Oh my god, Maria.” He scoffed. “You really believe that whole fairytale about dwarves living in anthills?”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Maria replied softly as she thought back on how grass and wildflowers grew out of every last inch of that man’s skin.

“It’s a fucking fairytale! It’s not real. Grow the fuck up!”

“Did you not see the part where that guy died right in front of us?!” She screamed in his face.

“It’s a textbook mass hallucination. They probably put something in our food or sprayed something in the air. It’s not my fault you’re stupid enough to fall for it.” He ended with a condescending tone.

“You know what?” She snapped as she rounded on him. “We’re done! I’m sick of you and your asshole behaviour.”

Ignoring his complaints, Maria gathered her belongings and moved to the front of the bus, hunkering down on the seat across from the shell-shocked, ex-pregnant, newly-widowed woman.

At last, their tour guide entered the bus and motioned to the driver to close the door. She clapped her hands to get their attention. “Alright people! We are way behind schedule so it’s about time we get this show back on the road.” As much as she wanted to find the missing passengers, they couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

They had been sitting idle for over an hour, but it didn’t seem like there would be any more people joining them. The bus was noticeably emptier than the day before, and nobody could figure out why. There were only two buildings for as far as they could see! How could so many people have gone missing? She’d checked and rechecked the motel, restaurant, and nearby surrounding area but couldn’t understand why the number of people in the bus didn’t match the same number when they had first arrived. A few had chosen to stay behind, but other than that, they had no reason for such a large difference.

And it’s not like the motel workers’ instructions were too difficult to follow. Say your greetings to the Nuno, don't stay at the restaurant past dark, and don't mess with the flora and fauna - especially the balete tree. Being quite superstitious herself, the guide knew better than to question them. She even made sure that her partner, their designated driver, listened and did the same.

Coincidentally enough, most of the people missing had gone to eat dinner at that nearby restaurant before it closed at an incredibly early 7pm.

When they heard the news, Ben shivered beside him and pressed himself closer to Joe. “To think, you could’ve been one of those missing people.”

“But I’m not. I’m still here, Ben.” He kissed Ben’s temple soothingly. “I’m still here.”

“Do you think that’s why she told you to leave? Since you helped her, she decided to return the favor?”

“I- it could be.”

As the bus slowly crawled away, Joe looked out the window to see two familiar faces watching them leave. The twins both had one of the original passengers with them. Engkantada was nearly dwarfed by the tall, barrel-chested, middle-aged man standing beside her with an arm around her waist. The man had opted to stay behind, leaving his sobbing wife on the bus. Engkanto, on the other hand, held a young blonde. Her boyfriend has gone missing after he stayed back in the restaurant to flirt with some other gorgeous blonde instead of listening to another one of her rants. As a form of revenge, she decided to flirt with Engkanto in order to make him jealous. They had been a ridiculously toxic pair, constantly fighting and cheating on each other throughout the tour.

For a brief moment, their facade disappeared and Joe could see their true forms. Smooth skin gave way to rotting flesh, and he could see all kinds of insects crawling in and out of them. They were grotesque, hideous creatures, and Joe reared back in horror. What kind of magic did they have that made themselves become so irresistible?

He turned away from the window and took comfort in the fact that he and his fiance had both survived the ordeal. Ben was studying the bracelets, turning them over and running his fingers over the beads.

“If it were me, I’d’ve told him he could do better than that.” Joe said half-jokingly.

“Better than keeping our future children safe?”

He winced. “Okay, you got me there. But _six_ children though? Isn’t that a bit much?”

Ben laughed softly. “I dunno, John Deacon has six kids.”

“Oh, so I play John Deacon _one time_ , and now I have to coincidentally have the same number of children that he has?”

He was about to answer, when he caught sight of something outside their window. Ben gasped. “Oh my god! Joe look!”

“Don’t change the subject!” Joe complained as he obediently looked at the direction Ben was pointing, and his jaw dropped.

A large, pure white stag loped alongside the bus, easily keeping up with the speed that they were at. The majestic beast looked up to watch the both of them with its single, glowing eye, before nodding once and turning back towards the motel.

Joe leaned back in his seat, a little awed. “Is it weird that I feel kind of blessed when it nodded?”

“No, I felt it too. Engkanto did tell me that the Lampong is a benevolent anito. It’s a guardian and protector of wild animals.”

“Huh. Looks like there was something good in this place after all.”

Ben hummed in agreement before scooting closer so that he could rest his head on Joe’s shoulder, the latter subconsciously moving to pull Ben into his arms. His head was bent at an uncomfortable angle, but he always felt safer when he was wrapped up in his fiance’s arms. “But next time, maybe let’s just have a nice dinner date at home, yeah?”

“God, yes! Sounds like heaven to me.” Although after a beat, he added. “I am _not_ having six kids though.”

“You have, like, _five_ nieces and nephews!”

\----- THE END -----

Notes:

\- Multo or Mumu is what we call ghosts in Filipino. It is the spirit of a dead person that remains on Earth to haunt the living.

\- Engkanto and Engkantada are the male and female variants of the same creature. Their name literally means “the enchanted ones”, and they are known to smell like wildflowers. To eat their food is to fall under their spell. They take the form of very beautiful people and try to seduce people in order to wed them. But once they are wed, their facade drops and you can see their grotesque, horrifying true forms.

\- Diwata is often mistaken for what people call fairies, but they are actually forest gods and protectors of nature. Where there is land that is teeming with life, there is a diwata. They can cast curses upon anyone who has ill-will against nature.

\- Tik-tik and Manananggal are two names for the same creature. Tik-tik is the name based on the sound she makes. By day, she takes the form of a beautiful woman, but at night, she goes to a secret hiding spot where her body detaches from the waist. She grows bat-like wings from her back which she uses to fly around at night in search for an unborn fetus to eat. She uses her long, prehensile tongue to reach into homes and pierces the pregnant woman’s belly through the umbilicus. Her tongue is hollow and she drinks up the fetus that way. The only way to kill a manananggal is to find her lower half and slather oil or salt over the wound so that she cannot reattach herself when sunrise comes.

\- I’ve never seen a manananggal personally, but I have heard it. I used to work night shifts and the team I was with enjoyed taking walks outside together during our break time - which was usually around 2 or 3 am. During one walk, I started to hear a tik-tik-tik sound in the air. Back then, I didn’t know that they made those sounds. I walked up to one of my coworkers and asked her what was making the sounds, and she got spooked and told me to hurry with her to catch up to the rest of the group. I later learned that they were also called Tik-tik from a foreigner soldier’s post on a paranormal encounters subreddit where he described seeing one while stationed in the Philippine jungle, and asked if it was real.

\- A Tianak is a baby that has died in the womb or before it was baptised. In some interpretations, it is more mischievous in nature, luring unsuspecting people to it by mimicking a baby’s cry then scaring them by either biting or showing them its true form. However, if the tianak is found by a couple, their lives are now in grave danger. In other interpretations, the dead baby has been possessed by a demon and is now a malevolent creature that feeds on human flesh.

\- The Story of Sidapa and Bulan is not a well-known myth, but is gaining popularity due to the one interpretation where they become husbands. Bulan is also known as the patron deity of homosexuals.

\- The Bakunawa is a gigantic dragon. According to legends, it slowly eats the moon every night and is the reason why the moon has phases.

\- Both “langga” and “pangga” are shortened terms for the word “Palangga”. It means “beloved” and is used as a term of endearment - not just between couples, but also between family members and even close friends.

\- When I was a college student, I had an internship at a physiotherapy clinic that focuses on children. After one lunch break at the clinic, we (my clinical instructors, fellow interns, and I) sat down together and passed the time telling ghost stories, since none of us had any more patients for the day. During one story, a few of us, myself included, noticed a small child dressed in all white run past the open door of the therapy room we were in. Upon questioning, we learned that there were no kids inside the clinic at all, not even with the occupational therapy interns in the other room.

\- Nuno sa Punso is a kind of duwende or dwarf that resides in termite mounds. They have excellent hearing but poor eyesight. To avoid hitting a nuno, one should say “tabi tabi po” (translated as “please move aside”) when passing by its home. If you offend the nuno, it can curse you with a number of ailments ranging from rashes and boils, to paralysis and catatonia.

\- Balete is a general term for several species of trees that are formed when a number of parasitic trees cover and eventually kill the host tree at the center. It is known to be the dwelling place of many different spirits and supernatural creatures. There have been countless stories of workers trying to cut down a balete tree, only to find their machinery stops working whenever it gets close, or about people cursed with unidentifiable ailments after they had offended the anito living there.

\- Dalakitnon is a kind of engkanto that resides in the air, flying around in tiny ships made of wood from either a balete or a dalakit tree. Seeing fireflies around a tree is a sign that their ships are docking against it.

\- Lampong is a protector of wild animals. Its true form is that of a two foot tall gnome but it can also take the shape of a pure white stag with one glowing eye. It is said that no hunter’s arrows can hit it, and it often leads hunters astray - taking them on wild-goose chases away from other deer and animals.

\- A Kapre is a hairy giant and is also known to be a shapeshifter. It can change its size, able to shrink to a human’s size and grow to enormous heights. The kapre is usually neutral, preferring to smoke giant tobacco cigars that never grow shorter and sit within the branches of the balete tree.

\- The Tikbalang is a strange looking creature. It has the head and limbs of a horse, and the torso of a man. The tikbalang is supernaturally strong and feeds on human flesh. One way to subdue it is to find the three golden hairs hidden in its mane, and pluck them out. Once done, the tikbalang is now under your control. There is a saying that during a sunshower - when it rains while the sun is out and there are no clouds in sight - then it means that two tikbalang are getting married to each other.

\- I got the idea of the restaurant from a Filipino book series where people share their encounters with the supernatural. According to the author of that particular story, they had been travelling through the province when they decided to stop and eat lunch at a roadside restaurant. They were understandably confused when they noticed how few customers there were inside after having difficulty finding a parking spot outside. When they arrived at their destination, they brought it up with relatives and were told that they were very lucky since everyone who has stayed there past sunset disappears. 

\- Mangita and Larina were not actually part of the original restaurant story, but I wanted to add them in. They really are sisters but complete opposites in appearance and demeanor - Mangita being dark-skinned, has back hair, and is incredibly kind and gentle, while Larina is fair-skinned, blond, and cruel. One day, an old lady comes by their home and asks for help. Naturally, Mangita did so. Larina, on the other hand, tripped the old woman and injured her. Later, Mangita falls ill, and the woman gives her a small bag of seeds that can cure her if she eats one seed every day. The woman entrusts Larina with feeding these seeds to her sister, then leaves. Fueled by jealousy and hatred, she refused to do so, hiding the seeds in her hair to make it seem like the bag was getting emptier until Mangita died. When the old woman discovered this, she revealed her true form as a diwata. The diwata then punished Larina by forcing her to sit at the bottom of a lake to comb her hair for seeds until every last one is removed. However, every time she combs a seed out, another seed comes in. The diwata then brings Mangita to live with her in peace and happiness.

\- I only saw the Shadow Man on the stairs once, back when I was in my early teens. It was late and my siblings and I were waiting for our brother to finish eating, when I looked up at the stairs leading to the second floor and saw a dark shadow in the shape of a man leaning over the railings and watching us. My brother saw it too and said that the man had red eyes. I also hated being the one to turn off the lights at night because whenever I went up or down the stairs, I would feel something like fingertips walking up my spine. This feeling left after our house was blessed by a priest.

\- Due to rainstorms and heavy traffic, my parents were late in picking me up from grade school and it was already dark. Filled with boredom, two of my friends and I decided to play a prank on the basketball team still training at the school gym. While running through the long hallway separating the entrance from the gym, I looked to the side and saw a white figure moving along the opposite wall. Suddenly, I felt an ice-cold hand grab me by the wrist and yank me back, making me stop where I was. At the same time, my two other friends also stopped running, saying that they felt something grab them too. Terrified, we all agreed to run back to the main entrance and stay there.

\- The closet demon is a mix of two stories from one of my coworkers. One of her relatives has an open third eye and she had to deal with a malevolent spirit in her dorm room closet. Another relative was watching an exorcism going on in a church. It wasn’t going well, so he softly started praying to Saint Michael. Then suddenly, the girl being exorcised looked directly at him even when he was standing at the very back of the church and she laughed, saying, “Saint Michael is not here right now.”

\- Aswang is a generalized term for any man-eating creature or spirit. They are able to mimic voices, using that to attract people and lead them to their doom. For the confusing roads, I took that from a Santelmo - a spirit that takes the form of a ball of fire. The santelmo enjoys confusing travelers by changing roads and paths they are on. And to break the spell, one must wear their clothes inside-out.

\- Wirwir is a big, black dog that eats cadavers or corpses. It has an excellent sense of smell that helps it find dead bodies for it to feast on.

\- The red and gold bracelets are actually taken from my Chinese background. It is customary for babies and young toddlers to wear this to protect them from evil spirits.

\- Anito is a general term for any nature spirit or deity in Philippine folklore. They may be benevolent, malevolent, or neutral in nature.

**Author's Note:**

> I’d love to hear what you think of this little story of mine! Enjoy!


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